Gifted
by BurningFox6
Summary: Contains spoilers. After Anna and Kristoff announce their engagement, the stone trolls offer an engagement gift to the bride-to-be to celebrate the occasion. Little does she know, it's something that she'd lost many years ago, and it's something that'll change her life forever.
1. A Humble Gift

"_Hoorah! Hoorah! HooRAH!"_

Cheerful cries rang throughout the clearing as the stone trolls rejoiced, hopping, cheering, and rolling into one another in celebration. Anna watched over the jubilation with a smile on her face, leaning into her long-time sweetheart – and recently, fiancé – Kristoff. Anna had learned her lesson from Hans quite well, and had made sure she and Kristoff had dated for a good long while before the thought of marriage even occurred to them. After a happy year of companionship, Kristoff had finally gotten down on one knee and proposed, and Anna giddily accepted – Elsa, too, was happy at the union, and had given her blessing. Now, Kristoff wrapped his arm around Anna and the two of them watched his family react to the news, both of them more elated than they could ever remember being.

Unfortunately, Anna had forgotten the troll's blatant disregard for personal space, and before she knew it the little rock creatures had hoisted both her and her beau into the air and started joyfully launching them skyward. Anna let out little yelps at first but slowly accepted it and started laughing along as the creatures carried them, moving them closer and closer to the middle of the group.

Soon enough, they were dropped off at the center of the crowd, which spread out to make room for the both of them. All at once, the trolls fell completely silent as a section of them opened up, allowing a larger troll with a grassy mane and bushy eyebrows to step before the two of them. "Grand Pabbie!" Kristoff greeted, watching as the wise old troll stepped up to the duo.

The troll king looked up at the two of them before a smile worked its way onto his aged, stony face. "So, you two are finally going to tie the knot?" he asked. "I speak for the entirety of the stone trolls when I say… well, it's about time."

The crowd burst into laughter as Anna chuckled, face turning hot as she took Kristoff's hand in hers. The king let the laughter die down before continuing. "All teasing aside, I truly speak for all of us when I give you the blessing of not only myself, but the entirety of the stone trolls as well. We've raised our young Kristoff with love and care, taking him into our family without a second thought, and now, we'd be honored to have you join our family as well, Anna."

More cheering rocked the forest as Anna nodded, taking a curt bow. "No, no, no, it's _my _honor, Pabbie," she assured him.

The king shot both of them a smile before turning fully to Anna. "My dear, to celebrate this joyous occasion, there's something I'd like to give to you. Please, kneel down so that I may give you an engagement gift."

A present? From the trolls? Anna wondered what that would entail – maybe a bouquet of dandelions? Whatever it was, she'd be more than happy with it. Anna obeyed the troll, getting down on her knees and sitting back on her feet. Still taller than the king, she looked down at him as he reached up and caressed her cheek gently in one large, rocky mitt. "Are you ready to receive your gift, my child?" he asked.

He was putting a lot of ceremony into something as simple as a present, Anna noted. Suddenly unsure, she looked to Kristoff, who only shrugged, just as confused about what was going on. Gingerly, Anna turned her head back to the troll. "Uh… sure?" she confirmed with a slight nod.

Nodding, the troll closed his eyes. He remained as silent as the crowd as he turned his head downwards, deep in concentration. Anna could only look at him with a baffled expression as his hand pressed into her cheek. Wind whistled through the clearing as moments passed, and nothing happened.

And then, it hit her – a searing, intense pain, flaring up in the center of her mind, and in her heart as well. Anna let out a scream, flinching and squirming in agony yet unable to pull away from the king's hand as images flashed before her eyes. Images flashed through her mind rapidly, images of her as a child. And it wasn't just her – Elsa was there as well. Anna was looking at her memories as though she was living them again, playing in the snow with her sister. In one, the two of them sledded downhill, and in another, they were building a snowman suspiciously similar to Olaf.

And then, the images began changing. Instead of the two of them building Olaf, she could see herself molding the snowman from snow that Elsa was conjuring herself. Just the same, their sledding adventure was now taking place on conjured powder as Elsa used icy winds to send them hurtling faster and faster. More and more memories shifted and changed until one last one appeared – Anna, dancing and leaping over pillars of icy that Elsa made. But Anna was going faster and faster, too fast for Elsa to keep up, and time itself seemed to freeze as Elsa, unable to keep up, misfired a shot – directly into Anna's face.

Anna felt cold, so cold, as the memories flooded her. But soon, the chill fell away as her heat returned, warming her up faster than she would've expected. Soon, the images fell away completely, and Anna let out a groan as her head slumped.

After taking a moment to compose herself, she looked up. The troll king was now across from her, being scolded by an angry Kristoff. "What were you _doing _to her, Pabbie?" he snarled, leaning over his father figure. "She was screaming! What did you _do_?"

"I assure she, she is fine, my boy," the king answered. "I am merely returning what was taken from her so long ago. Time has marched on, and she's recovered enough to be able to handle what she's lost."

Kristoff seemed unsatisfied, ready to yell again, but Anna silenced him by speaking up. "I'm… I'm fine, Kristoff," she assured him, rubbing at her aching head. She felt weak, oh so weak, and yet at the same time, fully energized. She'd already learned about Elsa's ice powers, but never had she known that their childhood had all been fabricated. Happy childhood memories were now seen in an entirely different light… and the incident that forced them to fall apart was now burned into her mind with perfect clarity.

Satisfied that she was alright, Kristoff jogged to her and kneeled, taking her hand in his and gently rubbing her forehead. Pabbie stepped back up to her, hands behind his back. "It is done, granddaughter. What has been long lost is now returned, yours forevermore."

Anna took a deep breath, centering herself. "So everything that happened, everything leading to me and my sister falling out… that was all because of an accident? And you… you're the one who hid these memories from me?"

"Correct. And not just those memories," the king responded.

"Huh?"

The king clucked his tongue, waving a finger towards Anna. "Let me ask you something, my child… since learning of your sister's gift, hasn't a certain question ever lingered in your mind?"

"Like… like what?"

"Why does she have powers, and you don't? Why do two sisters, born under the same parents and the same circumstances, have vastly differing abilities?"

Honestly, the thought had never occurred to Anna. "Not… really?"

Pabbie shook his head. "Let me tell you something. The world works in pairs, my child. For the earth, there is the sky… for the flowers in the meadow, there are the bees that pollinate them… and for every person and troll out there, there is another waiting to share their lives with them." His eyes shifted between the two of them, as if making a point. "In fact, this gift is a two-parter as well. Come, Anna, hold out your hand."

The troll reached out with his hand, motioning for Anna to give him hers. Confused, but curious, Anna slowly laid her hand in his. Pabbie took her hand and gently turned it palm upwards. "Forgive me for this, Anna," he muttered. Then, before anyone could react, the old troll reeled his free hand back, took aim, and struck her bluntly in her left shoulder.

"Ow!" Pain flared through her struck limb as stone collided with flesh. She loved Kristoff's family just as much as he did, but the troll king's stony fist really hurt, not to mention the fact how incredibly rude and unexpected it was. Anger and indignation filled her heart as she clutched at her shoulder with her free hand. "What is the _matter _with you?" she said, rubbing at the impact.

And then, her confusion and anger turned to shock as her hand suddenly burst into flames. Fire blazed skyward out of her palm as she screamed. The king held her hand firm, rubbing it soothingly with his other hand as fire continued to pour from hers. She screamed and screamed as fire burst from her, yet somehow didn't even warm her up. Soon enough, she managed to calm down, and the blaze receded back into her palm. Breathing heavily, Anna looked to Kristoff, who just looked as horrified and confused as she was.

The king, however, smiled at the girl. "I… uh… who… what?" Anna choked out, slowly balling her fist and pulling it from his grasp. She looked her hand over, suddenly feeling very unsafe while pointing it towards herself.

"When I had to take your memories, I had to remove all traces of magic from you if there was any hope of saving you from an icy fate. And by all magic, I truly mean _all _magic… even yours."

As his words sunk in, more memories flooded Anna's mind – memories so far repressed even she couldn't believe she'd experienced them. There she was, lighting a candle as a young girl with just a snap of her fingers. And as a baby, there was more than one occasion where she'd gripped her mother's gown too tightly and left it ashy and charred.

Horror and confusion raged through her as she gazed at the old king, silently begging him for answers. "Just as your sister uses her emotions to reign over ice, you too can use yours to have control over fire. At long last, your long dormant gift is returned to you." Ignoring her terrified look, the king simply smiled at the two sweethearts as the crowd around them shook the trees with their cheering. "Use these powers wisely, my child. And may you both live a long, prosperous life together."

* * *

**A/N: Though it seems like it's setting up for future chapters, I'm just leaving this as a oneshot for now. Someone had posted a concept somewhere that I simply had to work with, so I just wanted to write it out. If I can think of a way to push the story forward I'll probably return to this and expand on it, but for now, I just hope ya liked it.**


	2. Plan of Action

**Thanks to the help of a** **great beta, we've actually managed to come up with a plot for an entire story. While the first chapter can stand alone as a oneshot, anyone who wanted more will be glad to hear there's plans for quite a few chapters, including this one. Thanks to everyone for the kind words, and I hope you'll enjoy the story to come.**

* * *

Sven let out a grunt as he sidestepped another tree, carrying his two riders on a quick trip back to Arendelle. Kristoff sat astride him with Anna sitting just behind, keeping her hands to herself. She'd settled for tightly clenching her fists together after almost lighting Kristoff up when she'd tried to hold onto him. They travelled this way, blazing a trail – thankfully not literally – through the forest, moving farther and farther from the troll's grotto that they'd left just moments before.

"Do you think they'll be upset?" Anna asked, dropping her head a bit to avoid a stray branch. "We didn't even stick around for a chat."

"Probably," Kristoff muttered, before quickly shaking his head. "Anna! I think we have a more serious issue right now." He turned back to look at her, flicking his eyes down towards her hands.

Anna followed his gaze, holding up and inspecting her still-clenched fists. Even now, she could feel the intense heat within them aching to get out, and every now and then she could spot a faint flicker of fire licking delicately around her fingers. Once the initial shock had worn off, Anna had tried to look on the bright side of things: Her sister had powers, so now they had something in common… Elsa made such wondrous things out of ice, and maybe she could learn to do that… and she'd never have to use an oven again, that was nice. But despite the cheery outlook she tried keeping up, Anna couldn't ignore the fear nibbling at her, reminding her of the immense power she'd suddenly had dumped on her – power she didn't have much control over.

Anna shook her head, flinging that thought away. Her sister had had many years to learn to control her powers – all Anna had to do was go back to town, have a talk with Elsa, and she could tell her how to put a lid on her newfound abilities. And judging by the increasing amounts of fire circling her palm, the sooner they got back the better. Anna swiftly dug her heels into Sven, pointing past Kristoff. "Let's go, Sven!" But before she knew what was happening, a ball of flames shot out of her finger, nailing a branch down the path and completely incinerating it. "Oops."

Whether it was the spurring or the crackling flames that motivated him, Sven responded with a bellow and picked up the pace. Kristoff gave Anna a cautious look before scooting up a bit more. "If a bug lands on my back or anything, _please _don't point it out."

* * *

Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork. Ever since she'd woken up, Elsa had been scribbling away at documents, trapped behind the desk in her study. Aside from the occasional servant stepping in to offer a drink, she'd been alone all day. Usually, she'd have Anna hanging around the castle with or without her boyfriend, and her cheery presence made any of Elsa's queenly duties a lot more bearable. Today, however, she and Kristoff had gone off to visit his relatives in the forest to announce their recent engagement. Elsa was happy for them, there was no doubt about that, but she kind of wished they'd be home soon to keep the mountain of documents from getting to her.

That thought was quickly broken by the study door slamming open. "Elsa, I can shoot fire from my hands!"

Okay, maybe she didn't wish for it _that _much. Elsa let her writing quill fall to the table as she looked up, watching her sister and Kristoff rush into the room. "Anna, what have I told you about kicking down…" She was cut off by her sister slamming her palms down on her desk, leaning over it to look Elsa right in the eyes. Seeing the seriousness in Anna's gaze, Elsa felt her own brow furrow in concern. "What's wrong? What's this about… a fire?"

Anna opened her mouth to respond, only for a sizzling sound to come out. All eyes turned to the desk, which was slowly starting to smolder where Anna's hands rested. She let out a guilty squeak and pulled her palms back, and Elsa managed to set her shock aside long enough to hold up her own hand, focusing a jet of ice on the hotspots. The flames were swiftly replaced with a couple circles of solid ice, snuffed out before any real damage occurred aside from a few blackened edges on her papers. Elsa looked up at her sister, completely at a loss for what'd just happened. "How?" she breathed, the one word being all she could bring herself to ask.

Anna twiddled her thumbs together, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before launching into a rapid explanation of their day so far. Elsa listened intently, steepling her fingers together as she listened to her sister's tirade. When Anna finished, she was out of breath, panting as she asked one last question: "Did you know anything about this, Elsa?"

Had she known? The trolls sounded familiar – she vaguely recalled meeting them once, years ago. As for the powers? "No… I must've been too young to remember. And believe me, I'd remember something like that if I could." Elsa rested her cheek in her hand, massaging her forehead. All her life, she'd been different, born with powers beyond imagination or control. And now, here her sister was, setting her desk on fire just by touching it? She could control the very essence of winter itself and even she couldn't believe this. This was way, way too much to take in.

But she'd have to quickly, because she knew firsthand what untamed power was capable of. "Anna, we're going to need to get your powers under control." Elsa took a cautious glance at the walls – the very wooden, very flammable walls. "And quickly."

Anna nodded energetically. "Right! So come on, sis, tell me how you do it. What's your way of keeping the ice inside?"

Elsa clucked her tongue, looking away. "It's not that simple, Anna. For years I've worked hard, and only just recently have I gotten a grip on my abilities. Not even a _complete _grip," she clarified. "I'll admit that I've frozen a few pens solid when the work gets too stressful." She turned back to her sister, face suddenly serious. "And that's why we need to start as soon as possible on training you. I… don't have much experience teaching, but I'll do what I can to make sure we get this under wraps."

"Training?" Anna repeated. It'd probably been too much to hope for one big, end-all solution. But she'd do whatever it took. "Are you sure you're up for it?"

"I'll have to be. My powers almost buried the town in snow forever… and yours have the potential to do so much worse. We need to work together. To protect the town, to protect ourselves… to protect you." Elsa's face fell, sinking from serious to downcast. "We've only just recently let each other back into each other's lives. I don't want to see you hurt, or Kristoff, or anyone."

Though it warmed her heart to see her sister caring so much, Anna didn't like making her worry. She sighed, rubbing her bare arm. A hand dropped onto hers as Kristoff stepped up by her side, gently placing arm around here. "Hey, if that what it's gonna take, I'll be there to cheer you on," he offered.

Anna smiled at him at him before turning back to her sister. "Okay, I'll do it. When can we start?"

"Tomorrow," Elsa stated. "Until then, I suggest resting, covering up your hands, and please, if anything goes wrong, just tell me where to direct the blizzard."

Anna nodded, and she and Kristoff backed out the door, closing it behind themselves. Elsa leaned back in her chair, sighing and wiping a hand down her face. There was no way she'd be able to focus on any of her papers now, especially given how much she was worrying for her sister. She could feel snowflakes dotting her skin, but she'd have to reign herself in if she wanted any chance of preparing for tomorrow.

* * *

Anna sat alone on her bed, bouncing her feet impatiently against the wooden floorboards and thinking cold thoughts. Her head shot up when she heard her door click, and she looked to see Kristoff returning, dressed down to just his pants in his usual bedtime attire. "I looked around, but these were all I could find," he said, holding up a couple oven mitts.

He walked over and handed them to her, and she put them on without hesitation. She held the red mitts up, looking them over – she looked ridiculous, but they'd suffice. "Thanks," she said, patting the mattress beside her. "Ready for bed?"

Kristoff yawned in response, crawling over Anna – and the charred bedsheets she'd caused just before his mitten hunt – and wordlessly took his place beside her. Anna pressed herself into his side, and he draped an arm around in response. After a long day consisting of trying not to burn their home to the ground, it was time for a well-deserved rest. Anna's mind was far too cluttered for sleep just yet, though. "Kristoff?"

"Hm?"

"Ya know, when this day started, I was just hoping for a great day with you. And spending time with your family is always fun, even if they're a bit pushy. I just… never really expected anything like this." She patted her hand against his chest for emphasis.

He shifted, giving her a comforting squeeze. "Can't say that was first thing I thought about when I got up this morning, either. How does it feel?"

"How does it feel?" Anna flexed her hand, feeling the heat emanating from his hands being magnified from their tight confines. Oddly enough, the warmth didn't really bother her. "It's… strange," she answered. "Like every little movement I make just begs to let out some energy. I'm fighting it, but it just doesn't feel like I'm doing much."

"Well, you haven't burnt the town down yet, have you?" He'd meant it as a joke, but Anna felt herself shiver, wondering how much of a possibility that really was.

She shoved that thought to the back of her mind. For a moment, they laid there, and Anna could almost feel sleep coming on. A question pushed its way to the front of her mind, though. "Kristoff?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're okay, like this? One of us could go sleep out in the lounge if you don't feel safe."

Kristoff shot her a sleepy stare before taking his free hand, placing it over her mitt. "Honestly? No, I don't feel safe. But what kind of husband would I be if I let my wife go through something this… unusual, alone?"

"A much less crispy husband. And we're not married just yet, buddy," she joked, prodding his stomach.

"So the wedding is a couple months off, sue me," he muttered. He leaned in, giving her a soft smile. "But I mean it, Anna – I'm here for you."

She looked into his eyes, seeing the genuine love for her shining through his tired eyes. She leaned forward and gave him a peck, savoring the warm feel of his lips for just a moment before pulling back. "I love you, Kristoff."

"Love ya too, Anna," he replied. He yawned again, pulling back to let his head flop onto his pillow. "But seriously, let's hit the hay. I can barely keep my eyes open over here."

Anna nodded, snuggling into him. "Alright." She had to admit, she felt better now – safer, calmer, almost like she wasn't harnessing an inferno in the palm of her hands. She let out a sigh, closing her eyes and relaxing. She'd need some rest if she was going to be ready for tomorrow.


End file.
